Numerous injuries (many permanent) are incurred when a meat-packer's hand slips over the blade of the knife he is using. The probable cause of this type of accident is poor handle design accentuated by fatigue and slipperiness. Knife handle design has two components which need to be investigated - handle size and shape and hilt or guard characteristics. Some work has been done on the best size for cylindrical handle size, but no one has investigated other shapes or looked at the special problems of knife handles. No work has been conducted to define characteristics of effective hilt or guard design. This research will investigate the topics of optimal handle size and shape and hilt design for safety and productivity in the meat-packing industry. The results will be a safer, easy-to-use knife handle design for meat-packing which will not decrease productivity. In addition, a methodology and the necessary apparatus for testing handle design will be designed and evaluated.